The Missionaries
Let's open with a bold statement that you will hear again. The Jesuit and Loretto Missionaries who arrived at the Mission in 1847, and those who followed, were among the most remarkable people to ever set foot on Kansas soil. Unfortunately, they have but been all but forgotten—even here at home.
The comment above is very similar to words written for Mother Bridget Hayden in her obituary in the February 6, 1890 issue of the Neosho County Journal. To better understand the challenges the initial group of missionaries faced, let’s consider another thought:
Most were immigrants... Nearly all of the Osage Mission's Jesuits and many of the Loretto Sisters had recently arrived from far points of Europe. As they passed among the Indians and the settlers they taught, they established mission stations, they built churches and schools—and they sprinkled elements of their diverse cultures behind them.
They did not arrive at the Mission as the seasoned, hardened frontiersmen and women we see in movies and television shows. They were were refined, very well educated and dedicated to the Indian mission ministry. At least one had spent time in the military of the home land and their backgrounds were as varied as anyone can imagine. Father Paul Ponziglione was born to Italian royalty and had received the education of a nobleman. Father John Schoenmakers’ upbringing was so humble that little is known of his younger days. The others fit somewhere between.
They might not have arrived tough, but their remote prairie assignment tested them and toughened them. They dealt with harsh elements and inadequate housing, the unpredictable Osage temperament, war, famine, disease and the effects of isolation. At least two of them died very young.
I will begin with brief biographic articles on five of the missionaries and hope to build from there later. I should note that these five, while better known than others, should not be considered as “special”. All of them were special. The next time you walk through the Jesuit and Loretto fields of the St. Francis cemetery, remember that the small, granite tombstones are monuments to people--truly remarkable people.
Let's open with a bold statement that you will hear again. The Jesuit and Loretto Missionaries who arrived at the Mission in 1847, and those who followed, were among the most remarkable people to ever set foot on Kansas soil. Unfortunately, they have but been all but forgotten—even here at home.
The comment above is very similar to words written for Mother Bridget Hayden in her obituary in the February 6, 1890 issue of the Neosho County Journal. To better understand the challenges the initial group of missionaries faced, let’s consider another thought:
Most were immigrants... Nearly all of the Osage Mission's Jesuits and many of the Loretto Sisters had recently arrived from far points of Europe. As they passed among the Indians and the settlers they taught, they established mission stations, they built churches and schools—and they sprinkled elements of their diverse cultures behind them.
They did not arrive at the Mission as the seasoned, hardened frontiersmen and women we see in movies and television shows. They were were refined, very well educated and dedicated to the Indian mission ministry. At least one had spent time in the military of the home land and their backgrounds were as varied as anyone can imagine. Father Paul Ponziglione was born to Italian royalty and had received the education of a nobleman. Father John Schoenmakers’ upbringing was so humble that little is known of his younger days. The others fit somewhere between.
They might not have arrived tough, but their remote prairie assignment tested them and toughened them. They dealt with harsh elements and inadequate housing, the unpredictable Osage temperament, war, famine, disease and the effects of isolation. At least two of them died very young.
I will begin with brief biographic articles on five of the missionaries and hope to build from there later. I should note that these five, while better known than others, should not be considered as “special”. All of them were special. The next time you walk through the Jesuit and Loretto fields of the St. Francis cemetery, remember that the small, granite tombstones are monuments to people--truly remarkable people.
